[WinoGregorio]

I've got my eye on a couple different E92 335 wrecks that I can get for very little money. Both would be salvage title but I am planning on making one of them into a dedicated track car. Both have over 70K miles and both were head on wrecks. The biggest difference it that one is an 07 and the other an 09. I would replace much of the front bodywork, intake, IC, exhaust, suspension and gut the interiors. My question is which one would make a better track car and why?

[chancejat]

theyre the same....pick your favorite color.

[The HACK]

I wouldn't use any 335i for a "track" only car.

[WinoGregorio]

Originally Posted by The HACK

I wouldn't use any 335i for a "track" only car.

Why not? What do you mean?

BTW, I also found a 135 for a little more but it might be an even better choice.

[GaryS]

Make sure the 07 has an oil cooler.

[skiernan36]

Originally Posted by The HACK

I wouldn't use any 335i for a "track" only car.

it'll definitely be more expensive, but if you got the money why not? the 335 is great on the track and would be even better with upgraded suspension and LSD

[JoosyJoos]

The 335i just isn't a good track car. It's a great HPDE car assuming you make the necessary adjustments to keep it from going into Limp Mode but if you're serious about racing one its an awful idea. The chassis is heavy, the last 2 cylinders of the block dont get enough cooling (even if you have an extra oil cooler etc.), it lacks an LSD... the list goes on and on. There are so many better and cheaper alternatives.

OP should just pick up an E36 or E46... much better package out of the box. I think The Hack will agree... but would probably recommend something cheaper to maintain and even slower with more money spent on driver training.

[IN54NITY]

Oil cooler comment... +1

If you're restoring from a front end accident, consider aftermarket radiator. Heat is a problem with the car. #5 and #6 cylinders can run hot. Car is heavy, do what you can to ~lighten~.

[IN54NITY]

Originally Posted by JoosyJoos

The 335i just isn't a good track car. It's a great HPDE car assuming you make the necessary adjustments to keep it from going into Limp Mode but if you're serious about racing one its an awful idea. The chassis is heavy, the last 2 cylinders of the block dont get enough cooling (even if you have an extra oil cooler etc.), it lacks an LSD... the list goes on and on. There are so many better and cheaper alternatives.

OP should just pick up an E36 or E46... much better package out of the box. I think The Hack will agree... but would probably recommend something cheaper to maintain and even slower with more money spent on driver training.

Ha, you beat me to the post. I consider e46 too heavy too. e36 way to go IMO.

[WinoGregorio]

Thanks for the advice. I just got an e-mail from my friend who has the cars and he said that a real buyer is looking at both. It may not pan out after all. The 135 might still be available but that one might be out of my price range.

[skiernan36]

Originally Posted by JoosyJoos

It's a great HPDE

good point there. thats what i was referring to, i'm no racer, just enjoy some weekend driver schools throughout the summer months. if i had a "track" car, and was able to drive stick, i would do what 90% of instructors do and get an E36 M3. much cheaper. But my purposes, the 335i is great

[WinoGregorio]

Originally Posted by skiernan36

good point there. thats what i was referring to, i'm no racer, just enjoy some weekend driver schools throughout the summer months. if i had a "track" car, and was able to drive stick, i would do what 90% of instructors do and get an E36 M3. much cheaper. But my purposes, the 335i is great

That's kind of where I'm at.

The wrecked E92 would have costed me $3500 plus another $4-8,000 in parts. Labor would be mostly free. I might even be able to sell some of the interior parts and recover some cost too. In the end, I'd have roughly a 350RWHP (chip, FMIC, BOV, DPs, etc.) 3300lb car for about $12,000. I could get an E36 stripped down to maybe 2900lbs but getting the same power to weight ratio would cost me more. On top of that, an E36 M3 would set me back $10-15K. Doubt I could get a non M car to have the same power to weight ratio as the modded 335 at any price.

[skiernan36]

Originally Posted by WinoGregorio

That's kind of where I'm at.

The wrecked E92 would have costed me $3500 plus another $4-8,000 in parts. Labor would be mostly free. I might even be able to sell some of the interior parts and recover some cost too. In the end, I'd have roughly a 350RWHP (chip, FMIC, BOV, DPs, etc.) 3300lb car for about $12,000. I could get an E36 stripped down to maybe 2900lbs but getting the same power to weight ratio would cost me more. On top of that, an E36 M3 would set me back $10-15K. Doubt I could get a non M car to have the same power to weight ratio as the modded 335 at any price.

are you going to strip down the 335? if so, i wonder what weight you could get it down to. it's something i might be interested in doing a couple years down the road when i get a new car, i plan on keeping the 335 and eventually turning it into a track only car as well.

if you can do all that for only $12k i'd say go for it, i would just put some money aside for any problems you might run into and maintenance costs. but if you got a buddy to do labor for ya, or have a shop of your own, it might not be too bad

[WinoGregorio]

Originally Posted by skiernan36

are you going to strip down the 335? if so, i wonder what weight you could get it down to. it's something i might be interested in doing a couple years down the road when i get a new car, i plan on keeping the 335 and eventually turning it into a track only car as well.

if you can do all that for only $12k i'd say go for it, i would just put some money aside for any problems you might run into and maintenance costs. but if you got a buddy to do labor for ya, or have a shop of your own, it might not be too bad

I think that removing 3-400lbs from the interior is not out of the realm of possibilty. Take out the heavy stock seats and put in a more supportive and lighter weight single racing seat. That alone is worth half that goal. Stripping out the carpet, sound deadening, stereo, trim and other misc bits will get you the rest of the way there.

I got more out of a 300zx but that thing was a pig to begin with.

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by skiernan36

it'll definitely be more expensive, but if you got the money why not? the 335 is great on the track and would be even better with upgraded suspension and LSD

The problem with heat management on this particular engine is far worse than any BMW I've ever seen.

[WinoGregorio]

Originally Posted by The HACK

The problem with heat management on this particular engine is far worse than any BMW I've ever seen.

That may limit the usefulness of this platform. It is easy to get big power and decent handling but reliability could be its downfall.